From pblouw at uwaterloo.ca Thu Jan 4 12:53:36 2018 From: pblouw at uwaterloo.ca (Peter Blouw) Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2018 12:53:36 -0500 Subject: [ACT-R-users] Call for Applications - 2018 Nengo Summer School Message-ID: [All details about this school can be found online at https://www.nengo.ai/summerschool] The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo is excited to announce a special version of our annual Nengo summer school that will host the* first public access* to *Braindrop*, a new mixed analog-digital neuromorphic chip developed in collaboration with Stanford and Yale. In addition to introducing Braindrop, this two-week school will teach participants to use the Nengo simulation package to build state-of-the-art cognitive and neural models to run both in simulation and on neuromorphic hardware. Nengo provides users with a versatile and powerful environment for designing cognitive and neural systems, and has been used to build what is currently the world's largest functional brain model, Spaun [1]. Nengo is also being used to program a variety of state-of-the-art neuromorphic chips, including Braindrop! For a look at last year's summer school, check out this short video: https://goo.gl/4tVUkQ We welcome applications from all interested graduate students, research associates, postdocs, professors, and industry professionals with a relevant background. [1] Eliasmith, C., Stewart T. C., Choo X., Bekolay T., DeWolf T., Tang Y., Rasmussen, D. (2012). A large-scale model of the functioning brain. Science. Vol. 338 no. 6111 pp. 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.1225266. [ http://compneuro.uwaterloo.ca/files/publications/eliasmith.2012.pdf] Application Deadline: February 15, 2018 *Format*: A combination of tutorials and project-based work. Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for projects, which may focus on testing hypotheses, modeling neural or cognitive data, implementing specific behavioural functions with neurons, expanding past models, or providing a proof-of-concept of various neural mechanisms. Hands-on tutorials, work on individual or group projects, and talks from invited faculty members will make up the bulk of day-to-day activities. A project demonstration event will be held on the last day of the school, with prizes for strong projects! Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to: - interface Nengo with various kinds of neuromorphic hardware - build perceptual, motor, and cognitive models using spiking neurons - model anatomical, electrophysiological, cognitive, and behavioural data - use a variety of single cell models within a large-scale model - integrate machine learning methods into biologically oriented models - interface Nengo with cameras and robotic systems - implement modern nonlinear control methods in neural models - and much more... *Date and Location:* June 3th to June 15th, 2018 at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *Applications*: Please visit http://www.nengo.ai/summerschool, where you can find more information regarding costs, travel, lodging, along with an application form listing required materials. If you have any questions about the school or the application process, please contact Peter Blouw (peter.blouw at appliedbrainresearch.com). We look forward to hearing from you! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From db30 at andrew.cmu.edu Fri Jan 12 16:48:36 2018 From: db30 at andrew.cmu.edu (db30 at andrew.cmu.edu) Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2018 16:48:36 -0500 Subject: [ACT-R-users] New ACT-R software available Message-ID: There is a new version of the ACT-R software available on the ACT-R website: This is a working prototype of the system described at the 2017 ACT-R Workshop, and the slides of that talk are also available from the ACT-R website (this system is covered in the second half of the slides): This is not a replacement for the current stable release which is still version 7.5-<2244:2017-07-11>. Although this is still a work in progress, it is stable enough to run all of the tutorial tasks, and we will be using it at CMU in the cognitive modeling class this semester. It is being made available incase others would like to use it for teaching as well. Why would one want to use an incomplete prototype for teaching, you might ask. The answer is because it's possible to work through the entire tutorial without ever interacting directly with a Lisp prompt. All of the experiments and other miscellaneous code for the tutorial units is available in both Lisp and Python, and the tutorial texts have been updated to provide instructions for both versions. The model files however are still Lisp code. The model definitions have been separated from the task implementations, and a single model file will work with either implementation of the task. The interface which allows the tasks to be written in Python is a general protocol for external access, and it should be possible to write a client for it in any language in which one can open a socket and parse JSON data. The docs for that low-level interface are included in the docs directory in the remote.pdf file, and in addition to the Python client used for the tutorial tasks there is another, simpler, Python client example available in the file: extras/creating-modules/external/goal_complete.py (only available with the source code distribution not the standalones). That example implements a replacement for the ACT-R goal module written in Python which is complete enough to run most of the tutorial tasks as-is using that goal module instead of the built-in Lisp version. Now, all that said, there are of course reasons one might not want to use this (other than the obvious of not wanting to use prototype grade software). One is that the only valid documentation on using this version of the software currently is in the tutorial units -- none of the old documentation files in the docs directory have been updated appropriately yet. Also, as you may have guessed from the change in the major version number (7.5 -> 7.6) there are changes to the software which may cause problems for existing ACT-R code. In particular, the whole device concept for perceptual/motor interfacing had to be reworked. Because of that, basically any task which uses a device is going to need some changes before it'll work in this version. If you do try it out, please let me know of any problems or issues that you encounter. Dan From db30 at andrew.cmu.edu Wed Jan 17 08:57:31 2018 From: db30 at andrew.cmu.edu (db30 at andrew.cmu.edu) Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:57:31 -0500 Subject: [ACT-R-users] 2018 ACT-R Summer School and Master Class Message-ID: 2018 ACT-R Summer School and Master Class Carnegie Mellon University July 9-13, 2018 ACT-R is a unified theory of cognition that has been implemented in a software system called a cognitive architecture that can be used to develop computational cognitive models. It has been applied to modeling tasks that range from experimental tasks like simple reaction time and list learning, to real world tasks like driving a car and air traffic control. The 2018 ACT-R Summer School will take place at CMU in Pittsburgh from July 9-13. It consists of both a Summer School for beginning users and a Master Class for more experienced users. The Summer School will train researchers in the use of ACT-R for cognitive modeling using the ACT-R tutorial. Each day will consist of a morning theory lecture covering one or two tutorial units, an afternoon discussion session on the topics of the day, and modeling assignments which participants are expected to complete during the day and evening. The Master Class is organized in parallel with the Summer School. The Master Class offers the opportunity for ACT-R modelers to work on their own projects with guidance from experienced ACT-R researchers. There is no curriculum for the Master Class, but Master Class students are welcome to attend the Summer School lectures and discussion sessions. To provide an optimal learning environment, admission to the Summer School and Master Class will be limited. To apply for the Summer School, please email a curriculum vitae and a statement of purpose to db30 at andrew.cmu.edu. Demonstrated experience with a modeling formalism similar to ACT-R will strengthen a Summer School application. To apply for the Master Class please email a curriculum vitae along with some information about your level of experience with ACT-R and some details on the project you expect to work on during the Master Class. Applications are due by April 15th and applicants will be notified of admission by April 30th. Admission to the Summer School and Master Class is free. Housing will be available in the CMU dormitories for approximately $60/day (single) or $40/day (shared). More information about ACT-R, including papers published by the ACT-R community, can be found on the ACT-R web site: . For more information on the Summer School and Master Class you can email Dan Bothell at db30 at andrew.cmu.edu. From julian.marewski at unil.ch Tue Jan 23 09:13:29 2018 From: julian.marewski at unil.ch (Julian Marewski) Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:13:29 +0000 Subject: [ACT-R-users] PhD Student Position in Cognition and Decision Making at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) Message-ID: <4709f770831c4c2d8ea618ba75c68dcd@prdexch06.ad.unil.ch> apologies for cross-postings PhD Student Position in Cognition and Decision Making at the University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne is a higher teaching and research institution composed of seven faculties where approximately 14,300 students and nearly 3,900 collaborators, professors, and researchers work and study. Ideally situated along the lake of Geneva, near Lausanne's city center, its campus brings together over 120 nationalities. We offer a doctoral student position (max 5 years of funding, supervised by Julian Marewski) for studying decision making and other cognitive processes within the context of our interdisciplinary research program on adaptive cognition. *Research program* In our research, we model how people make adaptive decisions under uncertainty based on a repertoire of simple decision heuristics. We investigate how such heuristics exploit both the structure of environments and the workings of cognitive capacities, such as memory. For instance, we have modeled how the human memory system exploits statistical regularities in social and non-social task domains and how the interplay between memory and the environment, in turn, can help people to make smart decisions. The research carried out in our group draws on experimental methods and mathematical/computational models. Theoretically, our research is based upon the fast-and-frugal heuristics framework and the ACT-R cognitive architecture. *Job information and profile of candidates* We look for applicants with much intellectual curiosity, and a passion for research. Ideally, applicants should, moreover, be interested in pursuing a career in academia/research. Candidates should be interested in decision making processes, and interdisciplinary research on human cognition. Candidates will develop a dissertation topic of their own choice on decision making or other cognitive processes. Expected start date in position: April 1st, 2018 or a mutually-convenient date in the spring or summer 2018. Contract length: We can offer funding for a maximum of 5 years (the first contract has a duration of 1 year and is renewable 2 x 2 years). Activity rate: 60% - 100%, to be mutually agreed upon. Dissertation supervisor: Julian Marewski *Your responsibilities* As per the rules of the University of Lausanne, at least 50% of your work time is reserved for the completion of your doctoral training/dissertation work. At most 50% of your time can be spent on providing research, teaching, administrative, or technical support to your supervisor. *Your qualifications* Knowledge of experimental methods, prior exposure to quantitative research methods (e.g., cognitive modeling, programming skills) are helpful but by no means required. A Master degree in psychology, computer science, physics, mathematics, biology, economics, or any other discipline is required. Excellent English skills are required. *Your application* Application deadline: February 15th, 2018 Applications should include the following documents: Cover letter, detailed outline of at least 3 research projects the candidate would be interested in pursuing as part of his/her doctoral work, curriculum vitae, university transcripts, up to two letters of recommendation (can be submitted at a later point in time, to be agreed upon with Julian Marewski), past publications (if existing). Applications should be made exclusively online. We thank you for your understanding. *Available resources and work environment* You will work within the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Lausanne. Our faculty offers a unique interdisciplinary research environment with generous resources, including funding for conference trips and summer schools, in-house courses and training, as well as administrative support for conducting experimental work. In the past few years, we have built up a new excellent behavioral research laboratory that is, among others, fully equipped for cognitive and decision making research and that allows for precisely measuring response times and for conducting timing-sensitive cognitive studies. Our laboratory also features excellent facilities and equipment for virtual reality experiments, group experiments, and EEG studies. Our department - the Department of Organizational Behavior - offers a highly interdisciplinary, stimulating research environment. Past and current members have backgrounds in cognitive psychology, decision making, management, economics, physics, mathematics and other areas. We publish in top-tier journals in different disciplines (e.g., Psychological Review, American Economic Review, Science). Our department's members come from several different countries, and the working language of the department is English. We have an excellent collegial atmosphere, with regular academic and other social activities, including scientific talks, informal weekly get-togethers, or even parties. Current professorial faculty are John Antonakis, Joerg Dietz, Ulrich Hoffrage, Franziska Krings, Julian Marewski, Marianne Schmid-Mast, and Christian Zehnder. The University of Lausanne is located in close vicinity to several other higher education institutions, including the business school IMD or the Swiss technical university EPFL. Located near Lake Geneva and surrounded by the Jura Mountains and the French Alps, Lausanne itself is a beautiful and cosmopolitan spot to live and work. *Contact for further information* For any complementary information, please contact by email Julian Marewski (Julian.Marewski at unil.ch) *Additional information* UNIL is committed to promoting gender equality and strongly encourages applications from female candidates. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From s.k.mehlhorn at rug.nl Tue Jan 23 08:58:35 2018 From: s.k.mehlhorn at rug.nl (Katja Mehlhorn) Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:58:35 +0100 Subject: [ACT-R-users] reminder Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling 2018 Message-ID: <5114D95F-9352-4A57-9E47-32DC4F00F447@rug.nl> Reminder: The early registration deadline ends on January 31 2018. Third Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling ? ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, & Accumulator Models ? Date: April 9-13, 2018 Location: Groningen, the Netherlands Fee: ? 250 (late fee after January 31 will be ? 300) More information and registration: www.cognitive-modeling.com/springschool A preliminary version of the program can now be found on our website. This is a reminder of our invitation for the third Groningen Spring School on Cognitive Modeling (April 9-13, 2018). As in previous years, the spring school will cover four different modeling paradigms: ACT-R, Nengo, PRIMs, and Accumulator models. It thereby offers a unique opportunity to learn the relative strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. See the attached flyer for more information about the paradigms. Each day will consist of four theory lectures, one on each modeling paradigm. Each paradigm also includes hands-on assignments. Although students are free to choose the number of lectures they attend, we recommend students to sign up for lectures on two of the paradigms, and complete the tutorial units for one of the paradigms. At the end of each day there will be a plenary research talk, to show how these different approaches to modeling are applied. The Spring School will be concluded with a keynote lecture and a conference dinner. This year we also offer the opportunity for project students to attend. The idea is that you have attended the spring school in an earlier year and now come back in the week of the spring school to work on your own modeling project under our supervision. Admission is limited, so register soon! Please feel free to forward this email and the attached flyer to others who might be interested! We are looking forward to seeing you in Groningen! Niels Taatgen Jelmer Borst Marieke van Vugt Terry Stewart & Katja Mehlhorn ????????????????????? Dr. Katja Mehlhorn, Docent University of Groningen http://www.ai.rug.nl/~katja/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: flyer_springschool.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 201776 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From julian.marewski at unil.ch Tue Jan 23 07:01:24 2018 From: julian.marewski at unil.ch (Julian Marewski) Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 12:01:24 +0000 Subject: [ACT-R-users] PhD Student Position in Cognition and Decision Making at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) In-Reply-To: <2dc1b2c4388b485ca300cc155b6bda9e@prdexch06.ad.unil.ch> References: <1513176470632.30985@unil.ch>, <1513176585880.24858@unil.ch>, <1513176828075.16554@unil.ch> <1513177521619.51932@unil.ch> <995e146d5a7d4f88942f4ddd76784879@prdexch06.ad.unil.ch> <2dc1b2c4388b485ca300cc155b6bda9e@prdexch06.ad.unil.ch> Message-ID: <65d8ec5f0a18461797e3574e9b5c7643@prdexch06.ad.unil.ch> Apologies for cross-postings. PhD Student Position in Cognition and Decision Making at the University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne is a higher teaching and research institution composed of seven faculties where approximately 14,300 students and nearly 3,900 collaborators, professors, and researchers work and study. Ideally situated along the lake of Geneva, near Lausanne's city center, its campus brings together over 120 nationalities. We offer a doctoral student position (max 5 years of funding, supervised by Julian Marewski) for studying decision making and other cognitive processes within the context of our interdisciplinary research program on adaptive cognition. *Research program* In our research, we model how people make adaptive decisions under uncertainty based on a repertoire of simple decision heuristics. We investigate how such heuristics exploit both the structure of environments and the workings of cognitive capacities, such as memory. For instance, we have modeled how the human memory system exploits statistical regularities in social and non-social task domains and how the interplay between memory and the environment, in turn, can help people to make smart decisions. The research carried out in our group draws on experimental methods and mathematical/computational models. Theoretically, our research is based upon the fast-and-frugal heuristics framework and the ACT-R cognitive architecture. *Job information and profile of candidates* We look for applicants with much intellectual curiosity, and a passion for research. Ideally, applicants should, moreover, be interested in pursuing a career in academia/research. Candidates should be interested in decision making processes, and interdisciplinary research on human cognition. Candidates will develop a dissertation topic of their own choice on decision making or other cognitive processes. Expected start date in position: April 1st, 2018 or a mutually-convenient date in the spring or summer 2018. Contract length: We can offer funding for a maximum of 5 years (the first contract has a duration of 1 year and is renewable 2 x 2 years). Activity rate: 60% - 100%, to be mutually agreed upon. Dissertation supervisor: Julian Marewski *Your responsibilities* As per the rules of the University of Lausanne, at least 50% of your work time is reserved for the completion of your doctoral training/dissertation work. At most 50% of your time can be spent on providing research, teaching, administrative, or technical support to your supervisor. *Your qualifications* Knowledge of experimental methods, prior exposure to quantitative research methods (e.g., cognitive modeling, programming skills) are helpful but by no means required. A Master degree in psychology, computer science, physics, mathematics, biology, economics, or any other discipline is required. Excellent English skills are required. *Your application* Application deadline: February 15th, 2018 Applications should include the following documents: Cover letter, detailed outline of at least 3 research projects the candidate would be interested in pursuing as part of his/her doctoral work, curriculum vitae, university transcripts, up to two letters of recommendation (can be submitted at a later point in time, to be agreed upon with Julian Marewski), past publications (if existing). Applications should be made exclusively online. We thank you for your understanding. *Available resources and work environment* You will work within the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Lausanne. Our faculty offers a unique interdisciplinary research environment with generous resources, including funding for conference trips and summer schools, in-house courses and training, as well as administrative support for conducting experimental work. In the past few years, we have built up a new excellent behavioral research laboratory that is, among others, fully equipped for cognitive and decision making research and that allows for precisely measuring response times and for conducting timing-sensitive cognitive studies. Our laboratory also features excellent facilities and equipment for virtual reality experiments, group experiments, and EEG studies. Our department - the Department of Organizational Behavior - offers a highly interdisciplinary, stimulating research environment. Past and current members have backgrounds in cognitive psychology, decision making, management, economics, physics, mathematics and other areas. We publish in top-tier journals in different disciplines (e.g., Psychological Review, American Economic Review, Science). Our department's members come from several different countries, and the working language of the department is English. We have an excellent collegial atmosphere, with regular academic and other social activities, including scientific talks, informal weekly get-togethers, or even parties. Current professorial faculty are John Antonakis, Joerg Dietz, Ulrich Hoffrage, Franziska Krings, Julian Marewski, Marianne Schmid-Mast, and Christian Zehnder. More information on the Department of Organizational Behavior is available at: http://hec.unil.ch/hec/recherche/unite?unite_id=239&dyn_lang=en The University of Lausanne is located in close vicinity to several other higher education institutions, including the business school IMD or the Swiss technical university EPFL. Located near Lake Geneva and surrounded by the Jura Mountains and the French Alps, Lausanne itself is a beautiful and cosmopolitan spot to live and work. *Contact for further information* For any complementary information, please contact by email Julian Marewski (Julian.Marewski at unil.ch) *Additional information* UNIL is committed to promoting gender equality and strongly encourages applications from female candidates. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: